The US Navy has initiated a $29.9 million project to build one of the most advanced ship-based laser weapons to date.
The effort, dubbed SONGBOW, is designed to counter high-speed, complex threats like drone swarms, cruise missiles, and hypersonic glide vehicles with instantaneous, speed-of-light defenses.
The system’s core will be a powerful 400-kilowatt laser created by merging several 50-kilowatt emitters into one highly focused, precision-controlled beam—representing a major advancement over existing naval laser platforms.
